FCC Wants to Ramp Up US Broadband

The Federal Communications Commission wants speed up the U.S. average from the current 4Mbps to 100Mbps, and plans to have broadband in every U.S. home by 2020.

The statement comes as the FCC readies its National Broadband Plan for Congress this week, where the commission will set an agenda for connecting all corners of the nation to a modern broadband infrastructure.

Entitled Connecting America: The National Broadband Plan, the FCC found that while broadband access and use have increased over the past decade, the nation must do much more to connect all individuals and the economy to broadband’s benefits.

The Plan calls for action over the next decade includes connecting 100 million households to affordable 100-megabits-per-second service.

“Every nation needs a common medium to gather around and to have the internet as a common medium where a third are left out is unacceptable,” commented former FCC chairman, Reed Hundt.

The FCC believes that providing broadband access to everyone is critical for education, healthcare, public safety, sharing information, energy management and government interaction.

“It’s an action plan, and action is necessary to meet the challenges of global competitiveness, and harness the power of broadband to help address so many vital national issues,” said FCC chairman Julius Genachowski.